


001. Evidence

by fall_into_life



Series: 100 Prompts Table 30-A [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: 100 prompts, F/F, Just Girls Being Shy Dorks, No Content Warnings, That's it, no archive warnings, table 30-A
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 03:52:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15404355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fall_into_life/pseuds/fall_into_life
Summary: Sometimes, Weiss has to force herself to ignore certain actions of Ruby’s. To do otherwise is to collect false evidence.





	001. Evidence

Sometimes, Weiss has to force herself to ignore certain actions of Ruby’s. To do otherwise is to collect false evidence.

Ruby grew up in a very different household than Weiss did, one where you showed affection through embraces, through cheek kisses, through holding hands and freely expressing affection aloud. For every affectionate gesture toward Weiss, she looks to how Ruby treats Blake, how she treats Yang. In most instances, Ruby has done something similar to Blake, when Blake is feeling indulgent. In every instance, she has also done something similar, if not identical, to Yang. It keeps Weiss grounded, reminds her that Ruby simply operates on a different level than Weiss does.

Until the party for Ruby’s eighteenth birthday.

It’s meant to be a small affair, hosted at Yang and Blake’s apartment in Vale. Ruby doesn’t have her own permanent residence, flitting between her father’s home in Patch, her sister’s apartment in Vale, and Weiss’ mansion in Atlas. She missed her own seventeenth birthday, out on the Hunt in eastern Menagerie, and Yang had coaxed her into celebrating her eighteenth. Yang had also volunteered their apartment for it, so long as Ruby could abide by Blake’s restriction on the guest list. While Weiss knew Ruby had tried following Blake’s rules, everyone involved had forgotten a few things:

One, Ruby is incredibly popular. Between her clear and decisive involvement in the Salem War, her likewise clear involvement in the rebuilding, and her highly-visible team (three Huntresses, one of whom is a Schnee), everyone knows her name, and Weiss has yet to hear a bad word spoken of her. Not that she would tolerate such, but it is helpful that it simply doesn’t happen. Two, Ruby invited people, but didn’t specify if they were allowed to bring a plus-one. Or plus-two. Or an entire family. Three, nothing ever happens the way RWBY plans it.

Weiss spends the majority of the afternoon keeping one eye on Ruby, and the other on the guests. She has precisely one drink, something sweet that Yang shoves into her hand. The other woman knows better than to try getting Weiss drunk with strangers around, and the drink does nothing other than calm down the twitch Weiss can feel starting in her eyebrow.

When guests start filtering out, Weiss realizes she’s lost Ruby. Her entire (self-assigned) purpose today has been to make sure Ruby doesn’t get overwhelmed, and she has somehow lost track of her partner.

“Blake.” Weiss approaches the other woman quietly, touching her elbow to get her attention. “Have you seen Ruby?”

Blake’s yellow eyes turn to her, a little too discerning for Weiss’ comfort. She stubbornly keeps eye contact, purposely not firming her jaw. After three years of close contact, Blake knows her far too well to not pick up on such a tell.

“She’s probably on the roof,” Blake says, still studying Weiss’ face. “I think I saw her slip out a few minutes ago.”

Weiss nods her thanks, and slips through the crowd toward the door.

She’s not initially sure how to get onto the roof. Knowing Ruby, she likely used her Semblance to sprint upward, possibly deploying Crescent Rose to help get herself up there. Weiss could use her own Semblance to springboard herself upward, but she’s reluctant to be that blatant tonight. Naturally everyone there knows she’s here, but all it takes it one careless picture of Weiss using her glyphs to spark speculation among the media.

Weiss resorts to following the stairwell upwards, and breaking the padlock on the door leading outside. It’s old and rusty, and perhaps she should feel bad for destroying it, but somehow she can’t muster up the necessary concern. Vale is a Hunters’ town; something as petty as a fist-sized padlock is only a polite reminder not to trespass, not a serious deterrent.

Ruby is sitting on the edge of the roof when Weiss walks out, face turned to regard Vale. With any number of people, Weiss would be concerned about the danger. Between Ruby’s Semblance and her weapon - clipped securely to the small of her back - her only concern is what drew Ruby to search out solitude in the first place.

Sweeping off the concrete as best she can, Weiss sits next to her partner, not quite close enough to touch. She expects Ruby to scoot over, perhaps lay her head on Weiss’ shoulder, as she often does. Instead, Ruby shifts to pin her hands under her thighs, still staring out into the city. Weiss looks out with her, watching the city lights wink on one by one as the sun sinks underneath the horizon.

“Thanks for coming tonight,” Ruby says, after a few minutes of companionable silence.

“Of course,” Weiss says immediately. She would like to take Ruby’s hand, offer her reassurance in the form of contact, but Ruby’s hands remain tightly tucked under her thighs.

Ruby closes her eyes and tilts her head backward, red-tipped hair blown out of her face by the wind. Weiss can’t look away. The sunset paints golds and silvers onto her skin, her hair, making her glow. Ruby has always been pretty, but over the past few years, she’s turned into someone so beautiful that Weiss finds it hard to look directly at her sometimes. Or perhaps she always has been, and Weiss simply wasn’t paying attention before.

“Have you ever been in love before, Weiss?” Ruby asks quietly, eyes staying closed.

Maybe it’s the soft energy between them tonight, the simplicity of the question, or that Weiss is quite simply tired of hiding her feelings from herself, but she answers honestly: “Yes.”

Ruby laughs, swinging her feet. There’s something a little bitter in it. “Lucky boy.”

“Girl,” Weiss corrects, heart in her throat.

“Girl,” Ruby nods, easily accepting the correction. She blows out air through her cheeks. “Me too. I’m in love with a girl, I mean.”

Weiss’ heart sinks, but she accepts the confession with all the grace she can muster. She wants Ruby to be happy. She had been hoping she was wrong about the evidence, that maybe Ruby would be happy with her, but she can accept this.

“Tell me about her,” Weiss says quietly, moving a little closer.

Ruby’s eyes open. She looks out into the city, eyes unfocused and mouth curled at the edges.

“She’s smart. Really smart. And brave. Probably the bravest person I know.” The words start out slow, but gain speed. “She can be really nice but never wants anyone to know about it. She cares so much about people, but acts like feelings are contagious or something. And… she’s so beautiful. Sometimes she catches me staring and I have to pretend I was looking at something else, but I end up drawing her when I have nothing else to do and need to do something with my hands.” Ruby laughs a little, self-deprecating. “I’m not very good at drawing people, but I’ve gotten pretty good at drawing her.” She sobers. “I think… I think I spent a long time falling in love with her. And while I was falling in love with her…” Ruby turns to look at Weiss out of the corner of her eye, ducking her head. “…she was falling in love with a lucky girl, I guess.”

Weiss’ breath catches. She can’t… Ruby can’t possibly be saying what Weiss thinks she’s saying. She wants to ask, wants clarification, but the words won’t come out of her mouth.

Ruby turns back out to the city. “You don’t have to say anything. I promised myself I’d tell you before I turned eighteen, that’s all. And I’ve got a couple minutes.” She nods out at the horizon. “Yang says I was born right when the sun set.”

“Ruby,” Weiss forces herself to say, voice strangled. She can’t say anything else, just Ruby’s name and all the disbelief she can force into it.

The other girl looks to her, then flinches at the look on her face. “Sorry, I-I didn’t think you’d take it this badly. I’m– I shouldn’t have said anything.” Ruby starts to scoot back, bracing herself to stand.

“Badly?!” Weiss chokes out. She grabs Ruby’s hand, lunging forward and pressing their lips together. Ruby makes a soft sound of surprise against her lips, then relaxes.

They trade a few shy, soft kisses, Ruby’s free hand coming to rest hesitantly on Weiss’ shoulder. When they break, Weiss can hardly breathe for the warmth rising in her chest, threatening to engulf her.

“Am…” Ruby’s eyes dart between hers. “Am I…?”

“Yes, you dolt,” Weiss says, unable to stop herself from laughing breathlessly. “You are the girl I’m in love with.”

Ruby smiles, shy but genuine, and leans in for another kiss. Weiss smiles into it, relaxing for the first time in a long while.


End file.
